[THE OPEN WINDOW]
The old house by the lindens
Stood silent in the shade,
And on the graveled pathway
The light and shadow played.
I saw the nursery windows
Wide open to the air,
But the faces of the children,
They were no longer there.
The large Newfoundland house dog
Was standing by the door;
He looked for his little playmates,
Who would return no more.
They walked not under the lindens,
They played not in the hall;
But shadow, and silence, and sadness
Were hanging over all.
The birds sang in the branches
With sweet, familiar tone;
But the voices of the children
Will be heard in dreams alone!
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.